'''Kozhikode''' [http://kozhikode.nic.in/], formerly '''Calicut''', is one of the major cities in [[Kerala]], [[India]].

'''Kozhikode''' [http://kozhikode.nic.in/], formerly '''Calicut''', is one of the major cities in [[Kerala]], [[India]].

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==Understand==

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Kozhikode was the capital of Malabar during the time of Zamorins who where ruling before the British Rule in India. It was trading in spices like black pepper and cardamom with the outside world with the Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians, Chinese from centuries and with the Dutch and Portuguese more than 500 years ago.

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Portuguese were the first foreigners to find this land, the gateway to Kerala, famous for spices.

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This city is famous for receiving Vasco da Gama in 1498. He landed on the remote beach of [[Kappad]] which is 18 km away from the Calicut City.

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The English word '''calico''', a cotton textile, originated from this city's name "Calicut".

==Get in==

==Get in==

Revision as of 00:49, 26 June 2010

Kozhikode[1], formerly Calicut, is one of the major cities in Kerala, India.

Understand

Kozhikode was the capital of Malabar during the time of Zamorins who where ruling before the British Rule in India. It was trading in spices like black pepper and cardamom with the outside world with the Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians, Chinese from centuries and with the Dutch and Portuguese more than 500 years ago.
Portuguese were the first foreigners to find this land, the gateway to Kerala, famous for spices.
This city is famous for receiving Vasco da Gama in 1498. He landed on the remote beach of Kappad which is 18 km away from the Calicut City.

The English word calico, a cotton textile, originated from this city's name "Calicut".

Get in

By plane

Kozhikode has an International airport[2] and many Indian and international airlines has flights.

Calicut (Kozhikode) is well-connected to Bombay (Mumbai) by daily flights operated by Jet Airways[3] and Indian Airlines[4] / Air India[5].

You can also land at Mumbai International Airport[6] and catch train or flight to Kozhikode.

Emirates Airlines now flies daily from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Kozhikode.

Kozhikode is the major gateway of north Kerala expatriates to Middle East. Now Air India Express has its one of the hubs in Calicut International Airport. Also last year many other airlines started services, which include Qatar Airways,Emirates,Etihad,RAK airlines,Oman Airways etc.

In addition to these Srilankan airways operates a service to Colombo.

By train

The railway station of Kozhikode (code: CLT) is well connected to other city of India. All reservation can be done on the IRCTC website.

Kozhikode to Chennai

There are four direct trains between Calicut (Kozhikode) and Madras (Chennai), each taking about twelve to eighteen hours for one-way travel.

Kozhikode to Mumbai

There are a handful of direct trains connecting Bombay (Mumbai) with Calicut (Kozhikode) via the picturesque Konkan Railway route. Typically, these trains take about 24 hours to cover around 1200 kilometres between Bombay (Mumbai) and Calicut (Kozhikode).

Other

There are plenty of trains between Calicut (Kozhikode) and Cochin (Kochi) and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Keep in mind that unless you reserve your seats, you may end up traveling in unreserved compartments and it can be a tiring experience because these trains can get very crowded.

By bus

There are bus services operating from cities like Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore to Kozhikode.

By road

Kozhikode is well connected to other cities Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore by road.
It is actually a pleasure to drive from Bangalore to Calicut through Gundulpet and Sulthan Battery. But be cautioned that the small stretch of jungle you have to pass through may have wild elephants and moving in late hours along in small vehicle is not advised.

April 2008: The Bangalore-Mysore-Gundulpet-Sultan Battery-Kalpetta-Kozhikode route is fantastic. I took this 'alternative' route to travel to Thrissur from Bangalore since I wanted to avoid the Salem route (which I hear is in a very poor state). The entire Bangalore-Kozhikode-Thrissur route is fantastic and I plan to continue to use this route going forward, till the Salem stretch gets better.

Get around

Many places of attractions are near by one another so you could walk between them.

By bus

Kozhikode has an excellent local bus service system and it is cheap. Your first choice should be travelling by Bus. Be aware that the busses can travel at neck-breaking speeds, but they are fairly safe.

By autorickshaw

This is cheap way of transport between attractions. Autos in Calicut are the most trust worthy of any in India. They have the best reputation of being truthful and being straight forward in their dealings similar to the ones in Bombay (Mumbai) and Pune.

By taxi

Local taxis are also available at good rates. Normally, Taxis are not needed unless you plan to go way out of the city. If you want to move around in City, Autos and Buses are good enough. Taxis usually charge a flat charge and do not operate on meter.

By car

There are many rental companies offering cars with drivers or self drive.

See

Mitaitheruvu for the sweets and halwas.

Art Gallery - paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma

Beypore - A city in the mouth of Beypore river, traditional boat(Urus)-building yard, old port, fishing harbour

Canolly Canal - boating (Canolly Canal is such a place as there are many opportunities in the Canolly Canal to take boat and just stroll down the canal for enjoyment. Canolly Canal is especially very enjoyable during the sun set times when tourists stroll down the canal in the small local boats that give you a historical déjà vu.)[1]

Dolphin's Point - Just 15 minutes from the city centre is a place called Dolphin's Point, where one can see dolphins playing in the sea of an early morning.

Elathur - boating (A very beautiful town as it has a lake that borders it on one side and on the other side; Elathur is bordered by a river. Thus, this unique composition allows Elathur to be a very well sought out place that must be seen by travelers who come to India for its rich heritage.)[1]

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium - Located opposite the musical fountain is the Jawaharlal Nehru planetarium where you get a chance to unravel the mysteries of outer space.

Kadalundi - bird sanctuary, boating

Kakkayam - trekking and rock climbing through river path, enjoying numerous water falls.

Kallai - Once the bustling nerve-centre of Kozhikode's timber trade, said to have been the largest such trading centre in Asia. Today, though some business does take place, hard times have fallen on the timber trade and Kallai is just a shadow of its busy past.[1]

Kallai river - boating.

Kappad - Kappad see shore is famous because Vasco Da Gamma landed here in 1498 from Europe.

Kirtads - Special museum that shows us glimpses of the past. The main area of concern in the Museum is The Kerala tribe communities of the ancient times. You can find many tools and weapons that were used in the era of the Kerala. In addition, there is a vast anthropological library and an archeological library that has much information on the past history and tribal life styles of ancient India.[1]

Korapuzha - venue of the Korapuzha Jalotsav (water festival)

Kozhikode Beach - hundred years old lighthouse and the two crumbling pier

Kozhippara Water Falls - Ideal location for trekking and swimming ,with river side forests ,situated in Kakkadampoyil on the Malappuram -Calicut District border,can reach there by road.

Krishna Menon Museum - dedicated to late V K Krishna Menon, the former Foreign minister and Defence minister of India.

Lion's Park - Situated just next to the famous Calicut Beach. A great theme park with many rides for the children as well as many attractions for the parents. Lion's Park has the very good view of the sunset that is unparalleled in many places.

`Mananchira Maidan - The palace tank of King Mana Vikrama, still used as venue of various festival.

Payyoli - historical place, old fort and mosque of the Kunjali Marakkar.

Tali Temple - One of the oldest and the most ancient temples around. It is a very distinct temple, and its history goes all the way back to the times of the Zamorin ruler in 14th century builted by Swami Thirumulpad, the Zamorian.[1]

Thikkoti Light House - 1847 build

Tusharagiri - Famous for trekking tracks, with waterfall, evergreen dense forests with exotic birds and wild animals on the way.

Vadakara - A city on bank of Kuttiyadi river, famous 1500 year old Lokanarkavu Bhagavathi Temple, rock cut caves with murals and carvings.

Buy

Water pipe enthusiasts should look out for the Koyilandy Hookah, made in the nearby town of Koyilandy. Preparation of an average hookah requires up to 1.5 kg of copper, 1.5 kg of zinc and half kg silver. It takes a week to prepare a Hookah.Available in different sizes (12 to 24 inches), these Hookah are sold anywhere around rupees 500 to 1500. Specially crafted Hookah come at rupees 15,000.

One way to to procure one of these, you could contact the Kozhikode District Handicrafts Artisans Co-op society. They have several pieces ready and can polish it and give it to you within an hour. These range from Rs. 1200 to Rs. 2500 depending on the size. They can also ship it to you in India (not sure if they ship to places outside India). Their contact number is 0496 2623151.

Eat

Malabar cuisine is quite popular among gourmands. The midly flavored, gently cooked Malabar Biriyanis are a must eat when visiting Calicut. The mutton is cooked tender, the rice flaky and delicately spiced with the right portions of condiments, to leave the taste lingering for long.

The side-dishes include `alisa'( husked wheat cooked with chicken) `muttamala' or `egg garland'(yolk of egg cooked in thin strings in sugar syrup, with the white cooked as a pudding ornamenting the centre).

In seafood, mussels are a favorite. A concoction of mussel and rice flour, cooked in the shell is called arikadaka. The Arab influence on the local cuisine is very visible in the rich meat curries and desserts.

As a sweet, you should not miss the Calicut Halwa. Different varieties are available in almost all bakeries in the city.

Kozhikodan banana chips are world famous. There are so many bakeries in and around calicut from where you can buy this.

You should also visit the Zains Hotel, near the beach at Kozhikode to have yummy food. If you miss it, that will be a great loss. People from Bangalore flee to Calicut just to have a meal from Zains. They drive for 8 hours to reach Calicut so that they can have the delicious food.

Get out

Wayanad District, famous for scenic locations is nearby with District Headquarters Kalpetta 68 km away and Sulthan Bathery 90 km away.
Palakkad, which has a number of tourist attractions like the Malampuzha gardens, is 140 km away by road.